Basketball Training Device

ABSTRACT

A basketball training device is configured to be mounted on a regulation basketball hoop and provide shot guides for aiming shots in practice.

FIELD

The disclosure relates to a basketball training device.

BACKGROUND

The history of basketball, as we know it today, can be traced back to winter of 1891, when Dr. James Naismith, a physical education professor at the YMCA, was faced with the challenge of keeping his gym class active during winter months in New England. Naismith sought to invent a fast-paced indoor game, with limited physical contact, suitable for play in an indoor gymnasium. Naismith nailed a peach basket onto a 10-foot elevated track, wrote down the rules of the game, and modern-day basketball was born. The object of the game, in broadest terms possible, was to score points by shooting a ball (initially a soccer ball) into the peach basket, hence the name basketball.

Initially, holes were featured on the bottoms of the peach baskets so players could use long rods to push the ball out of the basket whenever a player made a shot. This caused undesirable game delays. To remedy these delays, the baskets, which were initially nailed directly onto gym walls, were replaced by a backboard with a metal rim. This backboard and metal rim design is currently utilized in standard play.

A skilled basketball player may possess strong hand-eye coordination, which may allow the player to properly arch shots so that they pass through the rim. One way to help develop this hand-eye coordination may be by practicing taking shots from different angles and different positions on the court. By continuously practicing shots, a good basketball player may become great.

One difficulty in practicing shots is that regulation basketball rims are above the player's head and the view of the rim itself is often further obscured by a rope or chain net hanging from the rim. It can thus be difficult at times for the player to pick one particular spot to aim when practicing shots.

SUMMARY

The instant training device may be capable of rapid installation on a standard basketball rim, allows the user to practice aim and shot placement and quickly remove the basketball training device for regular play.

In one aspect, a basketball training device may include a support (e.g., HDPE, PMMA, ABS, nylon, polycarbonate, polypropylene, polystyrene, PVC, aluminum, steel, tin, copper, brass, or alloys thereof) configured to be removably attached to a basketball hoop (e.g., by hooks). The support may include a plurality of shot guides (e.g., painted on or integrated into the support) placed so that at least one may be visible to a person attempting to shoot a basketball into the hoop. The shot guides may include lights or retroreflectors. The device may further include a sensor configured to detect whether (or where) a basketball passes through the rim, in which case the shot guides may be responsive to the sensor.

In another aspect, a basketball hoop may include a rim including shot guides, for example, retroreflectors or lights, placed around the rim in positions where at least one may be visible to a person attempting to shoot a basketball into the hoop.

In another aspect, a method of training a basketball player may include providing shot guides (e.g., lights) on the rim of a basketball hoop and having the shooter practice shooting at the shot guides. The method may include gradually making the shot guides less visible to the shooter. The shot guides may be responsive to whether (or where) the ball passes through the hoop.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIGS. 1-4 represent different views of a basketball training device.

FIG. 2 shows the device of FIGS. 1-4 installed on a basketball hoop.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A more particular description of certain embodiments of Basketball Training Device may be had by reference to the embodiments described below, and those shown in the drawings that form a part of this specification, in which like numerals represent like objects. It is understood that the description and drawings represent example implementations and are not to be understood as limiting. Drawings are not drawn to scale unless otherwise noted herein.

FIGS. 1-4 show from various angles a Support 100 configured for attachment to a regulation basketball hoop via Attachment Points 102. As depicted, Attachment Points 102 may be hooks that attach onto a rim, but other attachment points such as screws, tabs, or interference fit parts are also contemplated. The attachment points should not interfere with a basketball passing through the rim, and they should allow ready attachment and removal of Support 100, but in some implementations Support 100 may be permanently placed, or manufactured integral with the rim, or for Attachment Points 102 to interact more directly with a basketball passing through the rim. In embodiments in which Support 100 is not readily removable, it may be possible to render the shot guides (described below) less visible (for example, by turning off lighted guides) during games, but to turn them on for practice.

As shown in FIGS. 1-4, Support 100 may be made of a rigid or semi-rigid material capable of withstanding the moderate impact forces imparted by a basketball shot by a player. For example, Support 100 may be made of a hard plastic such as high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), nylon, polycarbonate, polypropylene, polystyrene, or polyvinyl chloride (PVC), or of a metal such as aluminum, steel, tin, copper, brass, or alloys thereof.

Featured along Support 100 are shown one or more Shot Guides 104 to assist the user practicing shot placement by acting as focal points when taking a shot. Shot Guides 104 may be visually distinct and may be chosen not to be damaged by repeated impacts by a basketball. For example, they may be circles painted onto Support 100 in a contrasting color, for example, black circles painted onto an orange support. In other implementations, they may be integrated into Support 100, for example, in the form of black plastic discs set into holes in orange Support 100 (so that they do not become less visible when worn away by repeated impacts), or etched or anodized areas in a metal support. In other implementations, they may include retroreflective surfaces to enhance visibility to the shooter, lights, e-ink, or other features to enhance their degree of visibility. When Shot Guides 104 include lights or similar active features, they may be powered by a battery (not shown) integrated into Support 100. Such lights or other active features may have controllable characteristics such as color, brightness, or size. For durability, active features may be protected from a blow by the striking ball, for example by a layer of clear acrylic (PMMA) or other plastic integrated into Support 100. Lights or other active guides may be static, or may be controlled by means of a switch (not shown) mounted on Support 100, by a remote control, or by other appropriate local or remote control switches.

Referring now to FIG. 5, Support 100 is shown attached to a standard Rim 200 by means of Attachment Points 102. Rim 200 may be attached to a standard Backboard 202. Also shown is a standard Net 204. Shot Guides 104 may be clearly visible through Net 204. A user may be elevated so that Support 100 may be positioned internal to and at the rear of Rim 200. The user may use Attachment Points 102 to hang Support 100 on Rim 200 within the rear portion of Net 204. In the illustrated embodiment, Support 100 runs along approximately the back half of Rim 200, but it will be understood that in other embodiments it might cover more or less of the rim or be placed in a different location. In some embodiments, Support 100 might be constructed to cover the inner rim on the back half of the basket, as shown, and also the outer rim of the front half of the basket, or it might be placed only on the outer rim of the front part of the basket. Such a placement may be useful for practicing layups or other shots that may touch the front part of Rim 200.

Once the device is installed onto Rim 200, the user may work on shot placement. As can be seen in FIGS. 1-4, Shot Guides 104 are spread along Support 100 in such a way that at least a portion of them will be visible to the shooter from anywhere on the court. Thus, the user may focus attention on any particular visible Shot Guide 104 when aiming a shot, enhancing the practice session on the court.

In some embodiments, the support may also include sensors that may be used to enhance practice. For example, in embodiments that include lights for the shot guides, the device might sense the passage of the basketball through the net and indicate by a changed color the location that the ball struck the rim. A skillful or lucky “nothing but net” shot might show no color change around the rim or might be rewarded with all lights changing or flashing. Sensors that sense the passage of the basketball through the net might be positioned on Support 100, but other sensors (not shown) might sense the position of a basketball anywhere on the court. For example, such a sensor might control lighted shot guides so that wherever a basketball is on the court, only the best guide(s) to shoot at to make a basket from that position are lit, or so that the best guide(s) are lit in a contrasting color or are otherwise visible to the shooter. Such sensors could sense an RFID in the basketball, or could use machine vision techniques to track its position.

In some embodiments that include sensors, feedback to the shooter may be provided audibly, in addition to or instead of by means of lights. For example, a shooter might select a target guide so that the hoop chimes when it is hit or buzzes when it is missed, even if the shooter makes the basket. For progressive training of lining up shots, lighted guides might start out at maximum brightness and/or size and be gradually dimmed (and/or reduced in size) over days, weeks, or months, until the shooter is effectively practicing with a regulation rim.

While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims. 

1. A basketball training device, comprising: a support configured to be removably attached to a basketball hoop, the support including a plurality of shot guides placed so that at least one is visible to a person attempting to shoot a basketball into the basketball hoop.
 2. The basketball training device of claim 1, wherein the support is constructed from a material selected from the group consisting of high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), nylon, polycarbonate, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), aluminum, steel, tin, copper, brass, and alloys thereof.
 3. The basketball training device of claim 1, wherein the support is configured to be attached to the hoop by hooks that hang from a rim.
 4. The basketball training device of claim 1, wherein the shot guides are painted on the support.
 5. The basketball training device of claim 1, wherein the shot guides are integral with the support.
 6. The basketball training device of claim 1, wherein the shot guides include lights.
 7. The basketball training device of claim 1, wherein the shot guides include retroreflectors.
 8. The basketball training device of claim 1, further comprising a sensor configured to detect a basketball passing through the hoop.
 9. The basketball training device of claim 8, wherein the shot guides are responsive to the sensor.
 10. A basketball hoop for training a basketball shooter, comprising: a rim including shot guides placed around the rim, wherein at least one shot guide is placed to be visible to a person attempting to shoot a basketball into the hoop.
 11. The basketball hoop of claim 10, wherein the shot guides include retroreflectors.
 12. The basketball hoop of claim 10, wherein the shot guides include lights.
 13. A method of training a basketball shooter, comprising: providing shot guides on a rim of a basketball hoop, and having the basketball shooter practice shooting at the shot guides.
 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising gradually making the shot guides less visible to the basketball shooter.
 15. The method of claim 13, further comprising making the shot guides responsive to whether a basketball passes through the rim.
 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising making the shot guides responsive to where the basketball passes through the rim.
 17. The method of claim 13, wherein the shot guides include lights. 